We were awaken around midnight by the cracking of thunder and the beginings of a late night thunderstorm. Bikes were covered and back to bed. The next morning brought sunshine and a beautiful day to begin our trek up the Going-To-The-Sun Road...famous in Glacier Nat'l Park.
On the way out of the cammpground I spotted this vehicle, updated replicas of what was used to transport tourists around the park 'back in the day'. The girl standing by the vehicle is the driver and in talking to her, she said the 'old' vehicles used to be equipped with manual transmissions. I can't imagine driving one of these, with a manual tranny, on these roads!
If you only have one day in GNP, the historic Going-To-The-Sun Road is a must! Built in 1932, the road traverses the heart of the park, and delights every sense. You'll experience flowing creeks/waterfalls, glacier carved canyons, towering peaks, and cliff hugging roads...on the bike, it is awesome!
Here are some pics from the ride:
Obligatory tunnel pic...
Twisty, cliff hugging roads...
Glacier carved canyons...
Towering peaks...
Flowing creeks...
...and waterfalls.
Visitor center at the top of the Going-To-The-Sun Road.
Proof I was there...
Heading down the backside of the Going-To-The-Sun Road was even more incredible. The photo opportunities are endless, here's a couple more of my favorites. Waterfalls are found throughout the park. Hiking would be incredible here!
Tunnel pic looking back up the hill with majestic views of the 'peaks and valleys'.
Nothing like an outdoor 'shower'!
Before exiting GNP, we took Many Glacier Road back to check out the hotel and views. It did not disappoint.
We had lunch in the hotel and enjoyed the views from the rear of the hotel.
There's a story associated with this next pic. You are probably noticing the cows, but it's the ice/hail on the road that made for an exciting ride! We were on Hwy 17, 14 miles south of the Canadian border, when the skies turned black ahead of us. Hey, we've got expensive KLIM gear, so full steam ahead...NOT! In a matter of minutes we found ourselves not only in a torrential downpour, but being assaulted by inch sized hail. I had to pull over, as it felt as if the face shield on my helmet would shatter at any moment. We decided to retreat to a cafe about 10 minutes behind us. We discussed options, but in the end, after about an hours wait, we decided to try it again. Upon reaching the spot were we had retreated, in the picture below, we found a downed tree, branches littering the ground, hail ice covering the road, and these cows paying us little attention.
But through sheer determination, we persevered, and make our border crossing...
We are now in Canada!
Our original destination for the night was a campground in Pincher Creek, BC. However, we decided to continue on, eventually posting up at a motel in Longview, BC. It wasn't long after we settled in that the rains began.
I was startin' to worry about you guys!!! Looks fun. GNP looks pretty nice.
ReplyDelete